Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day
Pennies earned:
19
I haven't been posting my progress, but I'm up to19 pennies now! I've added another goal this past Sunday to drink 5 glasses of water per day. I have a lot of trouble staying hydrated these days so I figure I'll start small and work my way up to 8 glasses later. I admit that I've been slipping a bit here and there and so the number of pennies I could have earned isn't what's posted. Well, gotta keep on truckin'!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Noodle soup comfort
Noodle soup is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods for the winter. My favorite noodle soup shop is this little Japanese place right across the street from my office. Unfortunately, it gets really crowded really fast during prime eating times! So sometimes, I'll have to get my noodle soup fix at home.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 servings of asian noodles (see note below)
3 to 4 cups vegetable broth
2 eggs
1 bunch scallions, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
4 to 5 cabbage leaves torn into big pieces
1 salt egg, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup of reconstituted TVP (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Note: The noodles I use are flat and thick. In a pinch, you can use italian pasta noodles, but the texture won't be the same. I measure servings by making a circle with my thumb and index finger, overlapping them up to the first knuckle.
Directions:
Begin boiling the vegetable broth in a pot big enough to cook the noodles in. Toss in the scallions, garlic, tomatoes and cabbage leaves into the pot. Beat the eggs and add the salt egg and/or TVP. If you are not using a salt egg, add salt to your eggs. Make a patty in a separate pan with the eggs. Tear up the patty into large pieces. Once the water is boiling in the pot, add the noodles. Add water and soy sauce or salt as necessary. Cook until noodles are soft. Serve with the egg patty on top.
If you don't have lots of broth to cook the noodles in, you can try the method below instead:
Boil a pot of water and add noodles. Beat the eggs and add salt egg and/or TVP. If not using a salt egg, add salt. In a wok or deep pan, Add scallions and garlic to the pan, then make an egg patty with the eggs. Tear up the patty into large pieces. Add the broth, tomatoes and cabbage leaves and cook until cabbages are tender and noodles are soft. Serve noodles in a bowl with broth mixture poured over it.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 servings of asian noodles (see note below)
3 to 4 cups vegetable broth
2 eggs
1 bunch scallions, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
4 to 5 cabbage leaves torn into big pieces
1 salt egg, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup of reconstituted TVP (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Note: The noodles I use are flat and thick. In a pinch, you can use italian pasta noodles, but the texture won't be the same. I measure servings by making a circle with my thumb and index finger, overlapping them up to the first knuckle.
Directions:
Begin boiling the vegetable broth in a pot big enough to cook the noodles in. Toss in the scallions, garlic, tomatoes and cabbage leaves into the pot. Beat the eggs and add the salt egg and/or TVP. If you are not using a salt egg, add salt to your eggs. Make a patty in a separate pan with the eggs. Tear up the patty into large pieces. Once the water is boiling in the pot, add the noodles. Add water and soy sauce or salt as necessary. Cook until noodles are soft. Serve with the egg patty on top.
If you don't have lots of broth to cook the noodles in, you can try the method below instead:
Boil a pot of water and add noodles. Beat the eggs and add salt egg and/or TVP. If not using a salt egg, add salt. In a wok or deep pan, Add scallions and garlic to the pan, then make an egg patty with the eggs. Tear up the patty into large pieces. Add the broth, tomatoes and cabbage leaves and cook until cabbages are tender and noodles are soft. Serve noodles in a bowl with broth mixture poured over it.
Eggnog Cheesecake
I saw this and my mouth started to water. I have, however, promised not to bake anymore desserts since that delicious chocolate cake, complete with dark chocolate icing, that I baked for Thanksgiving. I can't help but file this way for future use though. Mmmmmm!
http://www.thimble.ca/?p=1361
http://www.thimble.ca/?p=1361
Xmas tree
I wanted to get an Xmas tree last year and decided to grow one. It died earlier this year. :-(This year, I wanted an Xmas tree again, but haven't gotten around to carrying one home. In fact, it's quite possible that I won't be having an Xmas tree at all this year. :-(
I suppose, I'll have to settle for a paper one I can make off of here:
http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/paper-evergreens
Although they're not what I had in mind when I want an Xmas tree, they are undeniably cute nonetheless!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Homemade cough drops
I've always suspected that cough drops were nothing more than minty candy. Lol! Well, I just found a tutorial on how to make your own cough drops! It really is just a candy recipe with an herbal infusion. Check it out!
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Homemade-Cough-Drops
Battle of the Bulge check-in
Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
Pennies earned:
10
Yay! I am now at a whole dime! Can't buy anything with a mere dime these days, but I do feel like I'm doing okay so far. Unfortunately for me today, I might not be able to stay within my calorie range today. We'll see!
Something else I wanted to bring up in this post was something I had stumbled upon recently. It's a different way of calculating your "normal" weight range. Most places will calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) to gauge if you are underweight or overweight. This other method is a bit more complicated and is just another gauge, like the BMI. So anyways, here's the method:
1. Women: For every 60 inches of your height, allow for 100 pounds, and then 5 pounds for each additional inch. Men: For every 60 inches of your height, allow for 106 pounds and then 6 pounds for each additional inch.
2. Subtract 10 percent of the above number from the above number to get the low end of the range and add 10 percent of the above number to the above number to get the high end of the range.
3. To determine where in the above range you should be near, with your non-dominant hand, using the thumb and middle finger, circle the wrist of your dominant hand where the bones protrude. If you fingers overlap, you are small-framed and should be closer to the lower end of the range. If your fingers barely touch, then you are average-framed and should be around the midpoint of the range. If your fingers don't touch, then you are large-framed and should be at the higher end of the range.
Note: This method, like BMI, does not account for a person who may be very muscular. Muscles weigh more than fat, so if your body fat percentage is low and your muscle mass percentage is high, then you might be considered overweight by these calculations when you are clearly not.
So now that I have an idea of where my weight probably should be, I think that my current weight is higher than where I want it to be. To lose weight, in the simplest terms, you must burn more calories than you take in. To calculate how many calories you tend to burn in a day, you calculate your RMR (resting metabolic rate) and add that to the number of calories you burn doing a physical activity, such as gardening or step aerobics. I found a formula that helps calculate your RMR:
RMR = 9.99(weight in kilograms) + 6.25(height in centimeters) - 4.92(age in years) +166(gender) - 161
Note: For "gender," put 0 if you're female and 1 if you're male.
If you track your caloric intake, you can see if you're running enough of a deficit to lose weight over time. One pound is 3,500 calories. To lose one pound in a week, you must create a 3,500 caloric deficit over the course of 7 days. Most healthy weight-loss sites recommend that you do not lose more than one to two pounds per week, even less if you don't have that much weight to lose, like if you're only trying to lose 10 pounds. Crash dieting will only cause you to gain the weight back later. The best way for weight to be lost and stay lost, is to make changes in your lifestyle.
Anyways, I just thought I'd offer the formulas I've found because I thought they were helpful to me in judging whether my weight-loss goals are healthy. Of course, I'm not just working out and dieting to lose weight - I also want to look and feel attractive! My fiance thinks I'm the most lovely person in the world, but most people I know, including myself, don't go through this for their significant other. Most people do this for themselves. I fully acknowledge that I struggle with my body image more than I'd like to and that it's a mental thing rather than a physical health thing. I like to think that I'm a pretty grounded person, but it's nice to have something outside of yourself validate that your goals aren't unhealthy for you.
Well then! May I continue forward farther than I fall backwards!
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
Pennies earned:
10
Yay! I am now at a whole dime! Can't buy anything with a mere dime these days, but I do feel like I'm doing okay so far. Unfortunately for me today, I might not be able to stay within my calorie range today. We'll see!
Something else I wanted to bring up in this post was something I had stumbled upon recently. It's a different way of calculating your "normal" weight range. Most places will calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) to gauge if you are underweight or overweight. This other method is a bit more complicated and is just another gauge, like the BMI. So anyways, here's the method:
1. Women: For every 60 inches of your height, allow for 100 pounds, and then 5 pounds for each additional inch. Men: For every 60 inches of your height, allow for 106 pounds and then 6 pounds for each additional inch.
2. Subtract 10 percent of the above number from the above number to get the low end of the range and add 10 percent of the above number to the above number to get the high end of the range.
3. To determine where in the above range you should be near, with your non-dominant hand, using the thumb and middle finger, circle the wrist of your dominant hand where the bones protrude. If you fingers overlap, you are small-framed and should be closer to the lower end of the range. If your fingers barely touch, then you are average-framed and should be around the midpoint of the range. If your fingers don't touch, then you are large-framed and should be at the higher end of the range.
Note: This method, like BMI, does not account for a person who may be very muscular. Muscles weigh more than fat, so if your body fat percentage is low and your muscle mass percentage is high, then you might be considered overweight by these calculations when you are clearly not.
So now that I have an idea of where my weight probably should be, I think that my current weight is higher than where I want it to be. To lose weight, in the simplest terms, you must burn more calories than you take in. To calculate how many calories you tend to burn in a day, you calculate your RMR (resting metabolic rate) and add that to the number of calories you burn doing a physical activity, such as gardening or step aerobics. I found a formula that helps calculate your RMR:
RMR = 9.99(weight in kilograms) + 6.25(height in centimeters) - 4.92(age in years) +166(gender) - 161
Note: For "gender," put 0 if you're female and 1 if you're male.
If you track your caloric intake, you can see if you're running enough of a deficit to lose weight over time. One pound is 3,500 calories. To lose one pound in a week, you must create a 3,500 caloric deficit over the course of 7 days. Most healthy weight-loss sites recommend that you do not lose more than one to two pounds per week, even less if you don't have that much weight to lose, like if you're only trying to lose 10 pounds. Crash dieting will only cause you to gain the weight back later. The best way for weight to be lost and stay lost, is to make changes in your lifestyle.
Anyways, I just thought I'd offer the formulas I've found because I thought they were helpful to me in judging whether my weight-loss goals are healthy. Of course, I'm not just working out and dieting to lose weight - I also want to look and feel attractive! My fiance thinks I'm the most lovely person in the world, but most people I know, including myself, don't go through this for their significant other. Most people do this for themselves. I fully acknowledge that I struggle with my body image more than I'd like to and that it's a mental thing rather than a physical health thing. I like to think that I'm a pretty grounded person, but it's nice to have something outside of yourself validate that your goals aren't unhealthy for you.
Well then! May I continue forward farther than I fall backwards!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Vinyl wall art
I looooove cool wall art, but would rather not risk making a permanent mistake on my walls! So if you're in a similar situation, or need art you can take off easily later, here's a great project:
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Vinyl-Wall-Art/
Basically, you cut designs out of contact paper and stick to your walls. I love how it looks!
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Vinyl-Wall-Art/
Basically, you cut designs out of contact paper and stick to your walls. I love how it looks!
Two more pennies make a dime!
Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
Pennies earned:
8
Yes! I have managed to meet both goals last night! Will I manage to earn a two more pennies tonight? If I do, will have a whole dime banked!
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
Pennies earned:
8
Yes! I have managed to meet both goals last night! Will I manage to earn a two more pennies tonight? If I do, will have a whole dime banked!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Monster wreath!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bahkubean/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
OMG! I totally LOVE this project!
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=53867.0
Lollipop flowers
What a cool, cute idea! I don't tend to eat hard candy anymore, but it's definitely a cute project to have in mind for kids or perhaps even for a wedding? :-)
http://kitschy-koo.blogspot.com/2007/02/lollipop-flower-valentine.html
Hair fascinators
I love hair accessories. I love having long hair so I can wear hair accessories! In fact, I plan to wear a hair accessory on the day of my wedding - that is, other than the veil. :-) Unfortunately, the Wedding Industrial Complex is trying to brainwash everyone into thinking that you have pay 100 buckaroos for a flower barrette made of white plastic beads, polyester and perhaps a few feathers. The truth is, it doesn't cost much to make one and it doesn't take all that much time either.
For me, I can't wear most wedding hair accessories as per Chinese tradition, I am to avoid wearing white in my hair. White is the color of death and was worn to funerals in old China. Nowadays, I think most people wear black, as per western tradition. Anyways, according to Chinese tradition, you should never wear white in your hair because doing so signals to everyone that you are an orphan. If your parents are still alive and you wear white in your hair, it means that you wish to be orphaned, which is a terrible thing to wish for. Given that the Chinese are a superstitious bunch, it's bad luck to wear white in your hair if you don't want to be orphaned.
Aside from the fact that my culture doesn't approve of my wearing white in my hair, the fact that everything "bridal" is nothing but white and sparkles makes the whole bridal accessory shopping ridiculously boring! I actually love sparkly things but after the 100th shiny feathered flower, all the accessories just look the same to me.
Rather than try to find a ready-made hair accessory, I thought, why don't I try to make my own? Towards that endeavor, I found an excellent tutorial on how to make your own hair fascinators:
http://corvustristis.livejournal.com/3205.html
New goal added
Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
Pennies earned:
6
So this week, I've added the goal of staying within my calorie range. There are lots of online calculators you can use to see what your daily calorie intake should be to maintain your current body weight, or to lose up to a pound or two per week. I'm not very ambitious about losing a pound per week, but I would like to eat a little less than I have been. So I've set up a calorie range that feels realistic and achievable to me.
I didn't accrue any pennies on Friday or Saturday, but I hit both goals yesterday, hence I earned 2 pennies. Now, I can earn two pennies per day! After tonight, I hope to have banked 8 pennies!
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
Pennies earned:
6
So this week, I've added the goal of staying within my calorie range. There are lots of online calculators you can use to see what your daily calorie intake should be to maintain your current body weight, or to lose up to a pound or two per week. I'm not very ambitious about losing a pound per week, but I would like to eat a little less than I have been. So I've set up a calorie range that feels realistic and achievable to me.
I didn't accrue any pennies on Friday or Saturday, but I hit both goals yesterday, hence I earned 2 pennies. Now, I can earn two pennies per day! After tonight, I hope to have banked 8 pennies!
Friday, December 11, 2009
No exercise tonight :-(
Goals:
- Exercise for 20 minutes every day: Yep,definitely did that last night!
Total pennies earned: 4
I am excited that I have earned almost a nickel now! Unfortunately, I will not be getting to that 5 cent level tonight. Tonight, I have to stay very, very late at work to help my department on something. The person in charge of this endeavor thinks that we may be at the office until at least past midnight. Guess I'll be earning that nickel tomorrow. :-(
- Exercise for 20 minutes every day: Yep,definitely did that last night!
Total pennies earned: 4
I am excited that I have earned almost a nickel now! Unfortunately, I will not be getting to that 5 cent level tonight. Tonight, I have to stay very, very late at work to help my department on something. The person in charge of this endeavor thinks that we may be at the office until at least past midnight. Guess I'll be earning that nickel tomorrow. :-(
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Up to 3 pennies now!
Goals:
- Exercise for 20 minutes every day: check - another penny earned!
Total pennies earned: 3
I was really fired up to exercise last night and did a whole variety of things that I've been wanting to do, but rarely ever got around to it. My fiance and I took turns on the Wii. He did mostly games and I did a mix of games and routines that were pre-programmed into the Wii. I am enjoying the Wii routines though I prefer to do the strength training exercises on it rather than the yoga ones.
So anyway, when I finished my stint on the Wii and my fiance took over, I would do some jumping jacks or watch him play from my mini-elliptical or do some yoga and pilates. I ended up clocking about 35 minutes on the Wii, 10 minutes on the mini-elliptical, 1 minute of jumping jacks and about 10 minutes doing pilates and yoga poses. I know it isn't much time for each activity, but I felt good when I crawled into bed that I was able to stay active throughout the workouts. Yay! I am ready to earn my next penny tonight!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Little rewards to maintain motivation
Often when you exercise and go on a diet, the pounds you lose is a reward in and of itself, but it takes a long time to get to your goal. So how do you stay motivated until you reach your goal? One trick is to set an achievable short-term goal and reward yourself every time you achieve it. For instance, let's say I lose a pound at the end of this week. To reward this achievement, I'll treat myself to a very pretty pair of earrings that cost only 5 dollars. The reward should reflect the size of your achievement, I think. After all, you might gain that pound back the next week, so you might change things to reward yourself only when you lose 2 or 3 pounds.
Rewarding yourself on a daily basis is also good. On SparkPeople.com, there is a group that starts off with a simple daily goal and each time you achieve that goal, you give yourself a penny. You do this one goal for a week and the next week, you add another goal for the week. So if you achieve both goals on a daily basis, you are now earning 2 pennies a day for the week. Each week, you add another goal and eventually, you won't be able to afford to reward yourself! That's when you can take your savings and pamper yourself with something big, like a spa treatment. I absolutely love this particular method and really want to give it a shot!
So I'll start this week with a goal of clocking at least 20 minutes of exercise every day. I've already clocked this much time on Sunday and yesterday on the Wii, so that's two pennies already. Haha! Am ready to earn my third penny today!
Rewarding yourself on a daily basis is also good. On SparkPeople.com, there is a group that starts off with a simple daily goal and each time you achieve that goal, you give yourself a penny. You do this one goal for a week and the next week, you add another goal for the week. So if you achieve both goals on a daily basis, you are now earning 2 pennies a day for the week. Each week, you add another goal and eventually, you won't be able to afford to reward yourself! That's when you can take your savings and pamper yourself with something big, like a spa treatment. I absolutely love this particular method and really want to give it a shot!
So I'll start this week with a goal of clocking at least 20 minutes of exercise every day. I've already clocked this much time on Sunday and yesterday on the Wii, so that's two pennies already. Haha! Am ready to earn my third penny today!
Wii Fit Plus
I'll admit it. I slipped up and stopped taking care of myself for a while. I lost two pounds and gained it back during Thanksgiving. I have since neglected my 30 Day Shred DVD as well. So while I do feel a little guilty, I don't feel all that guilty because I have not actually been sitting on my rear this whole time. :-)
I have been playing with my new Wii Fit Plus! Yes, it's a video game and yes, it doesn't give nearly as good a workout as the 30 Day Shred, but it's way more fun! I actually did used to play the Wii Fit, but the games got boring and I stopped playing on it after a while. With the Wii Fit Plus, my interest has been renewed and I've even started playing my old favorites again. Now, I know that working out on the Wii is probably not as good as working out in a gym or taking a fitness class, but I have better luck getting off my butt to play on the Wii than going to the gym. What I mean is, my interest in playing on the Wii is allowing me to be active consistently, albeit on a lower intensity level, but consistency has always been something I have had great difficulty maintaining. So right now, I'm not complaining that I am able to do something, however minimally active, on a consistent basis, rather than doing nothing after a few intense spurts.
So since the Thanksgiving blowout, I've been on the Wii Fit Plus and wouldn't you know it? I've lost the two pounds I gained from that weekend! Hurray!
I have been playing with my new Wii Fit Plus! Yes, it's a video game and yes, it doesn't give nearly as good a workout as the 30 Day Shred, but it's way more fun! I actually did used to play the Wii Fit, but the games got boring and I stopped playing on it after a while. With the Wii Fit Plus, my interest has been renewed and I've even started playing my old favorites again. Now, I know that working out on the Wii is probably not as good as working out in a gym or taking a fitness class, but I have better luck getting off my butt to play on the Wii than going to the gym. What I mean is, my interest in playing on the Wii is allowing me to be active consistently, albeit on a lower intensity level, but consistency has always been something I have had great difficulty maintaining. So right now, I'm not complaining that I am able to do something, however minimally active, on a consistent basis, rather than doing nothing after a few intense spurts.
So since the Thanksgiving blowout, I've been on the Wii Fit Plus and wouldn't you know it? I've lost the two pounds I gained from that weekend! Hurray!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Gained pounds back
I understand that Thanksgiving is a day of eating, but I ate for four days straight! Is it any wonder that I was able to undo a few weeks' worth of work in such a short period of time? The good news is that I am back on track after almost of week of pure sloth and gluttony!
Unfortunately, I'm being distracted from the 30-Day Shred so I haven't been doing that. I've been having a great time on our new Wii Fit Plus! I really liked the Wii Fit when I first started playing it, but the games got boring and my fiance and I stopped playing with it. Since we got the Wii Fit Plus, our interest has been renewed and our activity level has risen once again! So although I do feel guilty for not getting right back on the 30-Day Shred, I don't feel too guilty because I'm clocking about an hour a day on the Wii these past few days. With any luck, I will be back down to my pre-Thanksgiving weight soon. Oy! Wish me luck!
Unfortunately, I'm being distracted from the 30-Day Shred so I haven't been doing that. I've been having a great time on our new Wii Fit Plus! I really liked the Wii Fit when I first started playing it, but the games got boring and my fiance and I stopped playing with it. Since we got the Wii Fit Plus, our interest has been renewed and our activity level has risen once again! So although I do feel guilty for not getting right back on the 30-Day Shred, I don't feel too guilty because I'm clocking about an hour a day on the Wii these past few days. With any luck, I will be back down to my pre-Thanksgiving weight soon. Oy! Wish me luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)